Driving Home
by Brandy-Layne
Summary: COMPLETE - Everyone is driving back to the lab after finishing their jobs but who won't make it back.
1. Chapter 1

"Yeh Gris, we've finished up here. We're gonna head back to the lab now. See you there." Warrick ended his call to their supervisor. "Grissom and Sara have finished up over at their break in too and are going to head back to the lab. He wants us there ASAP as there was another DB called in half hour ago."  
  
"Aw, man. Can this night get any more fucked up." Nick closed the back of the SUV and walked back to Warrick. "We are being hammered tonight. What about Cath and Greg. Can they go out."  
  
Warrick shrugged, "Don't know he said they were headed back too so maybe he wants us to work together on this. Anyway, best not keep lord and master waiting. You driving or am I."  
  
"No I'll drive. God knows I am better than you anyway," Nick smiled and headed around to the drivers side.  
  
"Keep telling yourself that man, one day you will actually believe it," Warrick laughed.  
  
__________________________________  
  
Grissom sat silently in the passenger's seat while Sara drove back to the Lab. He still didn't feel as comfortable with her as he used to. Gone were the little flirts, the trading of ideas or theories. He missed that.  
  
"So what is the DB that was called in," Sara broke the silence from the driver's seat.  
  
"Not sure just yet. O'Reilly just said that DB found under suspicious circumstances at a Casino dig site. Not even sure if it is murder. Whoever gets there first will know I guess. Right now we need to get our evidence back to the lab and log it before we can think of going to another scene."  
  
Sara nodded her head. "Are we going to it or are you sending someone else?"  
  
"Depends on who finishes first." Grissom turned and smiled to his co worker. "Guess we are in a race. All of us a headed back to the lab as we speak, all of us have evidence to log, all of us want a job more exciting then the one we just did."  
  
Sara smiled back, "Let the good times roll."  
  
Maybe things could get back to the way they were. Grissom went back to his silent contemplation.  
  
________________________________________  
  
"OH, man, I am so sick of mucking up. Every scene I go to I get something wrong. Maybe I should reconsider this field work gig."  
  
Catherine looked over at the passenger. "Greg, stop beating yourself up over this. It was no biggy. Everyone makes rooky mistakes. That is why you get sent out with us. So we can tell you what you are doing wrong and catch the mistakes before you make them. Man, if you only knew some of the stories from when I was learning. Tonight was nothing."  
  
Greg looked over at Catherine. He liked working with Cath. He liked working with all of them but Cath looked out for him. She was the mother. Not just to him but to everyone. He nodded his head then smiled. "So what about those stories. What rooky mistakes did you make."  
  
"Ah, I don't think so. They are in the vault." A sly smile crossed Catherine's mouth. "However, I could tell you some from your fellow work mates. But you must swear to me that you will NEVER tell them I told you. My life would not be worth living."  
  
Feeling better Greg swore an oath and Catherine began.  
  
________________________________________  
  
It was 3:00am and the streets were deserted. The young man had just hot wired the coolest car he had ever seen and was currently doing 100mph along a straight stretch of road. That road wasn't that far from the LVPD crime lab.  
  
_________________________________________  
  
"He did not!" Greg exclaimed. Tears rolling down his eyes as Catherine unravelled a story about fellow CSI Warrick Brown when he was brand new on the job.  
  
"I swear it is the truth. Nick gave him shit for months about that." Catherine was finding it hard to focus on the road as she was laughing so hard.  
  
________________________________________  
  
"You coming over tomorrow night to watch the game man?" Nick asked Warrick.  
  
"Can't, got a date."  
  
"With who? Not Karen from the PD. You know I have my eye on her," Nick smiled at his partner. They were very competitive and not only in their work.  
  
"No not Karen."  
  
________________________________________  
  
"Grissom do you think that kid tonight was the one who robbed the place. He couldn't have been more than 10 years old."  
  
"We won't know for sure until we look at the tape but it seems to be the main suspect."  
  
Sara pulled into the next street on their way back to work.  
  
_______________________________________  
  
The top was down and the wind was blowing in his hair. Red lights! Who needs them.  
  
He drove faster and faster. Let the cops try and chase him. There was no way the could stop him in this monster machine  
  
_________________________________________  
  
e H Grissom closed his eyes getting a little cat nap in as they approached the lab.  
  
Sara continued to drive, deep in thoughts of her own.  
_________________________________________  
  
Warrick still was not giving up who his date was with.  
  
Nick was asking if she had any single friends.  
  
_________________________________________  
  
Catherine was finally starting to control her fits of laughter.  
  
Greg was looking out the passenger window feeling much better about his foe pah this evening.  
  
__________________________________________  
  
Too late. He sees the dark SUV coming though on the green as he enters the intersection on the red.  
  
The car strikes the drivers side of the truck just behind where the driver sits. He sees the SUV wobble then flip, once, twice, three times. All this while his car is spinning around and he is flying through the air.  
  
He lands heavily on the grass pathway.  
  
He looks over at the van, the horn is blaring as it lies on it's passengers side. The front windscreen is smashed into thousands of pieces but still in tact. He can't see any movement in the car. He assumes the driver is dead. If there were any passengers they would be too most likely.  
  
He lifts himself off the ground. He has broken ribs, he can feel them, but he is not going to hang around for the cops to turn up. He gets to his feet and stumbles away from the scene. He doesn't even call 911. Jail is not a place he wants to go back to anytime soon. 


	2. Chapter 2

"Grissom, are you awake. Looks like we have an MVA ahead." Sara slowed the car down as they drew closer to the accident.  
  
"Looks nasty. I'll call 911." Grissom pulled out his cell phone and dialled. "Yes we have a MVA on the corner of Holloway and Tropicana. Please send police and paramedics immediately."  
  
Sara pulled up as Gil hung up the phone. She parked near the rolled SUV. "Wow. That looks like one of our cars." She started to head to the truck just as the windscreen started to shudder. "Someone is trying to get out."  
  
They both ran towards the front of the car arriving just as the windscreen broke free and fell to the ground. Sara stood stock still. There crawling out of the car was Warrick. He had blood covering him from head to toe. "Oh my god." Grissom couldn't believe what he was seeing.  
  
"Nick!" Sara was looking at the driver. Nick was suspended from his seat belt, hanging limply, lifeless. Arms dangling towards the ground. Much of the blood on Warrick was obviously from Nick. Sara could hear the distant sound of sirens as the ambulance and police came closer. "Help met get him out of here." Sara was on the verge of panic.  
  
"Sara no. Don't move him. You could cause more harm then good." Grissom was kneeling beside Warrick trying to keep him conscious. "Is he still alive?" Grissom had never asked such a scary question before. He was scared as to what the answer was going to be.  
  
Tears were streaming down Sara's face. "I don't know." She reached in and grabbed his wrist and tried to find a pulse. She couldn't find one. She felt again, nothing. She stepped into the overturned cab and reached for his neck. There it was, faint but a pulse.  
  
"He has a pulse!" Sara didn't know what to do. She couldn't move him, didn't want to touch him in case she hurt him more. "Oh Nick, you are going to be alright. The paramedics are coming now. Just hold on OK."  
  
The paramedics arrived and ushered Sara out of the cab. "Please miss, let us do our job."  
  
Sara nodded and stood back. She remembered Warrick and turned to see he also was being treated. She didn't know what to do. Grissom came up and put his arm around her shoulder. "They will be fine. You'll see. They're going to be OK." She wasn't sure if he was comforting her or himself. Probably both.  
  
Jim Brass walked up to them. "What the hell happened here? I was on my way back to see you when I cam across this. Is that Nick and Warrick?"  
  
Sara nodded. Grissom, with his arm still across Sara's shoulder, spoke, "We were all on our way back to the lab. We came across an MVA and it was Warrick and Nick. We don't know what happened."  
  
"Is there anyone in the other car?"  
  
Grissom and Sara looked blankly at each other. "I don't know. I forgot all about the other car." Sara was ashamed of the fact that she didn't even check the other vehicle. As soon as she saw Warrick all thoughts of anyone else flew from her head.  
  
"OK, I'll go and check. You two stay here with the boys."  
  
Gil nodded and stood with Sara.  
  
As Brass walked away another SUV, identical to theIr own pulled up. Catherine and Greg hopped out and wandered over.  
  
"What have we got Gil," Catherine asked before she had a chance to really look at the scene. But one look AT Sara and Gil's face and she took another look. Dark blue SUV, paramedics treating what was apparently a dark man on the ground in front of it. Another lot of paramedics standing inside the cab trying to free what must be the driver. "Oh my God." She realised what had happened. So did Greg.  
  
"Are they OK?" Greg asked, his indiscretion of this evening forgotten in the horror of the situation.  
  
Sara was crying but explained, "We drove up and then Warrick was crawling out of the cab and then we saw Nick, he was just hanging there. We didn't know what to do."  
  
Gil pulled Sara closer hushing her and trying to settle her sobs. "Nick had a pulse but I don't know what his condition is. Warrick was awake but not really with it. He was confused about where he was."  
  
"No one in the other car and we can't seem to find a body anywhere." Brass returned to the group. "Looks like a hit and run the fucking bastard." Brass's tough exterior was showing a few cracks. "Don't worry guys, we'll find this son of a bitch, I promise."  
  
Brass turned away to start the investigation. He hoped no one saw the tears that were now winding their way down his face. He quickly wiped them away and got to work. While not a homicide there was no way Brass was handing this over to anyone else.  
  
One of the paramedics headed over to Gil. "We are taking this one now. He has a broken arm and head injuries but nothing seems too life threatening. We are taking him to Desert Palms Hospital."  
  
Gil nodded, "What about Nick. How is he?"  
  
The paramedic looked over at the car. "Don't know, I wasn't working on him but they will let you know as soon as they can." He left as they loaded Warrick into the back of the Ambulance. It left in a blaze of lights and sirens. He might not have had anything life threatening but they were still in a rush to get him back to the hospital.  
  
"OK, easy now, take it slow." The paramedics and firemen working on Nick were lowering him carefully to a straight back board, turning him as they dropped him from his seat. He was already fitted with a neck collar. After what seemed like an eternity they had him out and placed him on a stretcher from the ambulance. Catherine started forward.  
  
"Catherine, let them do their job." Cath looked back at Gil, they tears brimming in her eyes. She nodded and stood her ground.  
  
They wasted no time loading him into the back of the Ambulance. They didn't even look him over once he was out of the car. That was not a good sign. Lights blazing and sirens blaring and it was off. Travelling faster than Warrick's. One of the firemen came over to talk to the group.  
  
"He is in pretty serious shape. Head injuries, broken bones, possible spinal injury. Sorry they took off so fast but cases like this time is of the essence. They are taking him to Desert Palms, same as the other guy."  
  
They stood there, shell shocked. None of them knowing what to do or what to say. 


	3. Chapter 3

Gil was the first to break out of the stupor. "OK, we need to get all this evidence back to the lab. We will load our car up with all of it."  
  
Sara looked at Grissom as if he had grown another head, "How can you think about that when Nick could be dead. Have you no compassion."  
  
"I know you are upset Sara, as we all are, but we have to do our jobs." Turning to Catherine he continued. "Once you and Greg hand over your evidence, you and Sara go to the hospital and find out what is happening. Greg you and I will go to the lab and log the evidence and arrange for Eckley to bring his crew in early. I will also get the next of kin contact information for the boys. The sooner we can get this done the sooner we can be with them."  
  
Catherine nodded her head and moved towards her car. Sara was still visibly upset but knowing she was going to the hospital with Catherine made her feel a little better. The four of them had the two vehicles cleared and collected evidence placed in the third. This crime scene would be left for Eckley's crew to look into.  
  
Within 20 minutes Catherine and Sara were pulling into the car park of the Desert Palms hospital. Catherine asked the nurse behind the counter about Nick and Warrick but her response was of little assistance. "I'm afraid I don't know miss. If you would like to take a seat over there I will try in find out their condition."  
  
The nurse went to leave but was waylaid by another trauma being wheeled through the door. Sara and Catherine had no option but to sit and wait. And wait and wait.  
  
Two hours later Grissom and Greg turned up. "How are they?" Greg asked.  
  
"We don't know, no one around here seems to be able to give us and answer. The closest thing to an answer was 'they are being worked on at the moment'. We don't know what that means though." Catherine was obviously becoming upset at the delay.  
  
"Excuse me, are you with the two MVA victims." A young man, a doctor, was walking towards them as he spoke.  
  
"Yes we are. How are they, are they alright?" Sara had jumped up out of her seat as soon as the man approached them.  
  
"The first man... Warrick, has been stabilised. He is conscious but still pretty spaced out. He has a serious concussion and a broken wrist. He should be fine after a bit of rest. We will be keeping him in until we are sure there is no serious neurological damage."  
  
"Thank god," Catherine let out a long sigh of relief. She hadn't even realised she had been holding her breath. "How about Nick. Is he ok?"  
  
"Nick..... he is in much more serious condition I am afraid. He is currently in surgery..."  
  
"Surgery, what for, what is wrong?"  
  
"He had a build up of fluid on his brain due to the impact trauma and he has undergone surgery to relieve the tension. He has been up there for about an hour and hopefully will be out of surgery before too long. We will know more once he is out of course. However, I can tell you he has a broken collar bone, 3 broken ribs and the rest on his left side are bruised or cracked, a cracked vertebrae in his lower neck, however it does not appear to have damaged the spinal cord but we won't know for sure until he regains consciousness. He also has a compound fracture of his left arm that will require a pin but this won't be performed until he is much more stable. Also a fractured pelvis and broken leg. Neither of these will require surgery. And some internal injuries which appear to be bruising at this stage. We will be keeping a close eye on it of course."  
  
The four CSI's stood in shocked silence.  
  
"Is he going to be alright." Catherine was trying to control the tears that were building up in her eyes.  
  
The doctor hesitated. "We won't know if there will be any permanent damage until after the surgeon has finished. I wish I could tell you more but you will really need to speak to him. I will send him down as soon as he is finished. In the meantime, you can go in and see Warrick. Try not to wake him if he is asleep and you can only stay with him for a few minutes."  
  
"Thank you doctor." Gil turned back to his team and saw the fear he knew was present on his own face. "I will call Nick's parents and let them know what is going on. Catherine, can you call Warrick's Grandmother. Here is her number."  
  
"OK."  
  
Sara and Greg went in to sit with the sleeping Warrick. Catherine joined them after her phone call and Gil came in a few minutes later.  
  
"How were his parents?" Sara asked. She couldn't imagine having to make that phone call. Let alone receive one like it.  
  
"I spoke to his father. He was obviously upset. They are going to catch a flight out here today to be with him. I told him to call when they got here and I would go and pick them up from the airport. How was Warrick's Grandmother?"  
  
"She was OK. Relieved he is going to be alright. She was going to drive down her as soon as she could."  
  
"Now what do we do?" Greg asked.  
  
"Now we do the hardest part, Greg, we wait." Gil responded. And that was exactly what they did. They waited for Warrick to wake up and waited for the surgeon to come and talk to them. Waiting is far harder than doing. 


	4. Chapter 4

It was another four hours before the surgeon came to speak to them. Warrick's grandmother had arrived and was sitting with her grandson. The CSI's had gone back to the waiting area.  
  
"Are you the people with the male MVA bought in early this morning?" He asked as he walked up to the group.  
  
"Yes, Nick" Catherine was the first to respond, "How is he?"  
  
"Are any of you family?"  
  
"No, his family is in Dallas. They are on their way here though."  
  
"Please take a seat." He continued once they were all seated. "I would normally only discuss this with family but as they won't be here for some time...The surgery went well. We have placed a small shunt in the back left hand side of his scull to allow drainage of fluid. Fluid build up is very common in this type of head trauma. It would appear his head went left when the car was hit and impacted quite severely with the side of the car. At this stage we don't know if there is going to be any permanent damage until he wakes up. Brain damage occurs in approximately 35% of this type of head trauma so we have to wait and see on that. The shunt will hopefully be able to be removed within 48 hours. The next 24 hours are going to be critical. If he survives that then he has a strong chance of a full recovery. He is in ICU at the moment but that is going to be limited to family only until he is more stable. If his family wish to speak to me directly when they get here you can have me paged by the desk there. My name is Doctor Howard" He pointed to the nurse's station. With a small nod and after a round of 'thank yous' he left.  
  
"Wow," Greg didn't know what else to say. He supposed it was good news. As good as could be expected considering the circumstances. No one else seemed to be wanting to talk. All lost in their own thoughts.  
  
"I need a cigarette," Sara declared and walked outside. Catherine followed shortly after. She hadn't smoked in years but she could really use one now.  
  
"I'm going to call Brass and let him know how the boys are and find out if he knows anything about the accident yet," Gil also walked outside.  
  
Greg was left alone on the chairs. He felt useless. He had never been in a situation like this before. Never had to under go the agonising hospital wait. Grissom was right, waiting was the hardest part. He could feel his eyes start to sting as the tears he had held back so far threatened to spill over. His best friend was in the hospital rapping on death's door. Nick probably didn't even realise that he was his best friend. But he was. He let a few tears spill before he wiped them away and pulled himself together. 'Be strong man.' That is what Nick would say.  
  
*************************  
  
"Brass, it's Grissom,"  
  
"How did Nick's surgery go?"  
  
"He is out of surgery but not out of the woods yet," Grissom continued to fill Jim Brass in on the Nick's condition and that Warrick should hopefully be released tomorrow once he had some rest. "How have you gone?"  
  
"We managed to get prints off the wheel. Scum bag didn't even bother to wipe it before he ran. Running them now. If we get a hit it should be in the next few hours. I will need to come in and talk to Warrick see if he remembers anything about the accident. Any idea when he will be awake?"  
  
"No, I'll call you when I think he is up to it."  
  
"OK, well Archie seems to think that there may be some traffic camera's on Holloway that we may be able to get some film off if they were facing the right direction. He is talking to Department of Transport now and getting them to send the feed over to the lab. If we get this guy and we can't prove he caused the accident he is going to get a slap on the wrist for steeling a piece of shit car. I filled in everyone here at the lab. They were all pretty shook up. Warrick and Nick are damn popular you know. I wanna get this guy. We all do."  
  
"Jim, let the evidence speak for itself, don't speak for the evidence. Don't make this personal."  
  
"Guess what Gris, this is personal. I'll speak to you later."  
  
The line went dead. He hoped Jim didn't do anything rash. He smiled to himself, 'Jim, rash, never!'  
  
He started to walk over to Cath and Sara who were sitting on a cement wall smoking when his phone rang. Looking at the caller ID he didn't recognise the number. "Grissom, CSI."  
  
"Mr Grissom, it's James Stokes here. We are at the airport if you are still OK to pick us up? If not we will just grab a cab."  
  
"No, no, not at all Mr Stokes, I will be there as soon as I can. I will pick you up outside the arrivals terminal in 15 minutes."  
  
"How is he?" Grissom heard the fear in Nick's father's voice. The last they had heard was their son was fighting for his life while having brain surgery. Now the surgery was over but he was still fighting.  
  
"He came through the operation well. He is still in critical condition obviously but doing as well as can be expected. I promise I will explain everything when I see you."  
  
A long sigh, "Ok, thank you. See you soon."  
  
"Was that Nick's parents?" Cath asked. Gill nodded. "Ah...... do you want me to come with you to the airport? They are going to be upset and .... Well ... sometimes you aren't real good with emotional situations."  
  
"I was hoping you would offer," Gil admitted.  
  
"Ok, let's go then."  
  
They waved goodbye to Sara who was going to go back in to Greg and sit with Warrick for a while.  
  
********************  
  
Warrick was just waking up as Sara and Greg walked into his room. His grandmother was by his side holding his hand.  
  
"Hey there man, how ya feelin'?" Greg asked as he drew up beside him.  
  
"I feel like I was hit by a truck. What the hell happened?" Warrick still appeared a little groggy which was perfectly understandable considering what he had been through.  
  
"Shhh, honey. Don't you go worrying about that now. You just rest up." Warrick noticed his grandmother for the first time. "Gramma, what are you doing here? What the hell happened?" Sara could see Warrick was getting concerned about his predicament.  
  
"Warrick, you were in a car crash. You got a nasty bump on the head and your arm is broken but other than that you are OK. Now do what your Grandmother says and rest. No need to worry about anything now." 'No need to tell him about Nick just yet' she thought.  
  
Warrick did lay back, forehead creased in a frown, but his eyes were closed.  
  
Greg and Sara took a seat beside his bed, ready to continue the waiting game.  
  
"Nick was with me, wasn't he?" Warrick opened his eyes again as he started to remember what had transpired.  
  
Sara and Greg shared a look, they also noticed Warrick Grandmother, Emma, look over at them. She didn't want to worry Warrick unnecessarily, but Sara wasn't sure they had a choice. "Yes, he was but he is resting up too so just relax OK."  
  
Warrick nodded, seeming to accept that answer, but then he looked at Sara and Greg and knew that they were holding something back. "Guys, what's wrong?" Again Sara and Greg shared a look, trying to decide how much they should tell Warrick. "Nick's not....." he couldn't finish the thought.  
  
"No, no, he's not ....." Sara couldn't say it either. Tears started to spring up in her eyes. Sara knew Warrick needed an answer. "He's not good though." Sara started to fill Warrick in on Nick's condition, and when she started to cry and couldn't go on, Greg kept going and between the two of them they managed to tell Warrick the full story.  
  
Warrick lay back in bed, eyes wide, tears brimming in them. "I can't even remember what happened. I remember ribbing him about my date and then......I woke up here. Oh man, his family... has anyone called his parents?"  
  
Sara nodded, "Grissom's picking them up from the airport as we speak. If we feel this bad I can't even imagine what they are going through."  
  
They all lapsed into silence. Each person lost in their own thoughts. 


	5. Chapter 5

Gill pulled his SUV into the curb and he and Catherine hopped out. As there was only a few people standing outside it didn't take long to find Nick's parents. Catherine took in the three people in front of her. Nick's mother and father were older than she was expecting but then she realised he was the youngest of seven so they would have to be close to their seventies if not older. His mother was short, about 2 inches shorter than herself with salt and pepper hair. She had a slender frame and even though there were creases on her forehead, she greeted Catherine and Gil with a smile, not unlike her sons.  
  
Nick's father stood up as they approached and his hair was steel grey, taller than Nick by an inch or two, but his face..... this was Nick, through and through. Nick was going to be a handsome man the rest of his life if his father was any indication.  
  
Lastly was a younger woman, about Nick's age with long wavy dark brown hair. She must be one of Nick's sisters. Catherine guessed it was Kelly, who was only one year older than him and very close from the stories Nick had told her.  
  
"Mr and Mrs Stokes?" Gil asked when they drew closer.  
  
"Yes, I'm James and this is Sandra, and this is our daughter Kelly," James introduced his family. "I'm sorry that I forgot to mention that Kelly was here as well, I hope there is enough room in your car."  
  
"That is not a problem, there is room enough for us all. I'm Gil Grissom, by the way, and this is Catherine Willows. We both work with Nick."  
  
"Oh yes, we know that," Kelly said. "Nick has been talking about you folk for years now. I'm glad I finally get to meet you all." Kelly smiled but there was sadness behind it.  
  
Catherine instantly liked her, she was very much like Nick. Polite to a fault, not matter how hurt you are inside. "I'm sorry it couldn't be under better circumstances. But let's get you all in the car and we will take you straight to the hospital."  
  
Catherine noticed Sandra Stokes hadn't said anything and was no doubt trying to keep it together. After all, her baby boy was lying in hospital fighting for his life. It doesn't matter how old they get, they are ALWAYS your baby. Catherine came and put her arm around Sandra and gave her shoulders a squeeze. She whispered in her ear, "He's holding in there and he is a strong man."  
  
Sandra looked into Catherine's eyes the tears so close to the surface her eyes were shining. She nodded, "Thank you," she whispered.  
  
They piled into the car, James and Gil sat in the front, and Kelly, Sandra and Catherine in the back. Kelly held tight to her mother's hand on the trip back to the hospital as Gil and Catherine both filled them in on his condition.  
  
After that conversation there really wasn't much else to say so they all lapsed into silence until they pulled into the hospital car park.  
  
As no one had been up to ICU yet, they had to find out how to get there and which ward Nick was in, from the front desk.  
  
Sara and Greg were also there waiting, Warrick having fallen asleep again. After another quick round of introductions, they all went up to ICU. The CSIs, realising they would not be allowed into his room, still went up as a means of support for his family.  
  
Walking down the hall of his ward was...eerie. Were it not for the sound of respirators, or heart monitors, the hall would have been deathly quiet. No conversations in this ward, no laughter or cheers. At the nurse's desk, James asked for his son's room. They were guided further into the ward and came to a stop.  
  
"I'm afraid only family are allowed in at this stage, and we are going to have to ask that after your initial visit that you restrict it to two people only. Unfortunately, we not only need him to rest, but we cannot risk infection of his shunt. If you could hop into these gowns before you go in and don't touch him around the face. Also his left arm is splinted lightly but don't touch that as the compound fracture has not been attended to yet." She handed his mother, father and sister, disposable blue hospital gowns and showed them into the room.  
  
It wasn't until Nick's family went in the door that they realised that they had been led directly outside his room, and there was a window looking in. They may not be able to go in but everyone could see Nick lying in bed.  
  
The sight of him shocked everyone. His head was completely bandaged with only his face showing. A tube was running from behind his head to a bag hanging off the side of the bed. This was the drainage of his shunt. His eyes and bridge of his nose were almost black from bruising, the air bag obviously not inflated long enough as the car rolled. A tube was coming out of his mouth and it lead to a respirator. The bellows lifting up and down with each forced breath. His neck was supported in a neck brace, designed to keep his head and neck completely immobile in the event he work up. Blankets were pulled up to his chest, just under his arms and his right arm was lying on top of the sheets. His left arm, also on top of the sheets, was wrapped in bandages and held in a temporary splint. Bandages poked out from under the sheets and up over his shoulder, strapping his ribs and collar bone. Heart rate monitors were taped to his hairless chest. From the look of the sheets, his left leg was also in a cast. Monitors of every kind surrounded the head of his bed.  
  
Nothing could have prepared the group for this. They faced the bloodiest, most horrible crime scenes every day of their lives, yet this scene left everyone breathless. Their workmate, no, their friend, their brother if you will, was laying there, completely helpless. As were they.  
  
Sara turned away once she realised what she was looking at, trying to fight the tears that were threatening to spill over, afraid she would be unable to stop them if she let that floodgate open.  
  
Greg let out a sob before turning and walking away. It was too much for him just now.  
  
Gil let a tear fall down his cheek. This small tear spoke volumes of the pain he was feeling.  
  
Catherine sobbed, the tears streaming down her face. She leaned into Gil who held her for as long as she needed. 


	6. Chapter 6

The rest of the day was spent waiting (of course), drinking coffee, sitting, talking, drinking coffee, visiting Warrick and drinking coffee. For some reason, stressful situations always involved drinking lots of coffee.  
  
Now that Nick's family was here, they felt that they would be able to go home for a few hours sleep before shift starts. They all know they will be back the minute shift is over to wait some more, and drink more coffee.  
  
Gil was the first to arrive, but only by ten minutes before Catherine, Sara and Greg arrived. Brass came into his office. "Hey, how are they?"  
  
Grissom felt like he needed a coffee. "Warrick is OK. Nick....." he shrugs. "He's a mess. Still hanging in there though which is good. Doctor is going to check on him tomorrow morning again."  
  
Brass nods. He knows how useless Gil feels. "How were his folks?"  
  
"Sad. Very sad."  
  
"Well we have some good news at this end. Got a name on our little joy rider, Tyrone Sampson. Went round to his house but surprise, surprise, young Ty wasn't there. We have an APB out for him. We have also faxed details to every hospital and clinic for them to keep an eye out for him. Man has to be in some sort of pain after a crash like that. Going to seek medical treatment sooner or later. From the look of the car he should be pretty beat up." Brass handed Gil a copy of the rap sheet with the photograph of Tyrone on it.  
  
Archie poked his head in the office, "That traffic camera footage has just turned up Captain, do you want to come and look at it with me."  
  
"Try to stop me Archie. Coming Gil?"  
  
Gil nods and follows Jim out. By they time they get to the audio visual room, Catherine, Sara and Greg and most of the graveyard techs were also in the room.  
  
"If you don't need to be here I would suggest you all get back to work people." Gil knew everyone was concerned but this was not going to turn into a home movie marathon. The techs returned to their posts but his CSI's stayed put.  
  
Archie began, "They sent me the entire night so what time was the accident?"  
  
"Just after 3am," Sara answered.  
  
"Yeh, but before 3:15 cause that was the time when Catherine and I got there," Greg continued.  
  
Sara also piped up, "We were there only a few minutes before you guys so... between 3:03 and 3:12?"  
  
"OK, I'll start rolling from 3:03 then." Archie struck a few keys on the keypad and a picture came up of Holloway Road with the intersection where the accident occurred in the rear of the shot.  
  
"Can we get any closer to the intersection Archie?"  
  
"Sure Captain," a few more key strokes and the intersection was taking up the entire screen. "Just let me clear that shot up a bit. Get a bit more focus." A few more key strokes and...... BAM!  
  
"JESUS! Did you see that?" Greg exclaimed.  
  
It was that quick. One second they were clearing up the picture and the next the SUV was front and centre, lying on its side.  
  
"Roll back and slow it down Archie," Gil instructed. Archie shuttled back until just before the accident and slowed the film down. The screen showed the intersection just before the accident, the lights on Holloway were red and the lights on Tropicana appeared to be green from the angle they were watching. Then the red convertible came into shot moving along Holloway, away from the camera towards the intersection, the light still showing red. Just as it was drawing closer Nick's car was seen entering the intersection, the red car braked but could not avoid the impact.  
  
"Stop there. Got him! He entered on the red." Brass clapped Archie on the back.  
  
"Jim, there is no way to tell who is driving that vehicle. If he comes up with a story that can cause reasonable doubt......" Grissom tried to keep Jim focused.  
  
"Now who is making this personal," Brass responded.  
  
"Keep rolling the film Arch, see if we can get his face on film," Catherine instructed.  
  
Archie continued playing the film. Just after the red car braked, Nick's car jumped forward before impact. Then they struck. The red car started spinning and the driver was thrown up and out and landed off camera.  
  
The SUV wobbled then flipped three times and came to rest on it's side, just how Gil and Sara found it.  
  
An audible gasp could be heard from everyone. "How the hell did anyone survive that crash?" Catherine was taken back by the severity of the crash.  
  
"Cause Nick took evasive action, that is how. Roll that back again Archie." Jim walked forward toward the large monitor.  
  
"I don't know if I can watch that again," Sara thought about leaving the room on the verge of tears again. Greg came and placed a hand on her shoulder for support. She place her hand over his and kept watching.  
  
Jim continued, "See here how the truck jumped forward and turns slightly.... If he hadn't done that then both Nick and Warrick would be dead. That's defensive driving one-o-one right there. Good to see the Dallas Police force did such a good job training their cops."  
  
"Are you trying to say Nick would have seen him coming?" Gil was amazed.  
  
Brass nodded. "Yup. Thank god he was quick enough to react. That car was on a collision course with the front of the car right in front of the driver which would have killed Nick instantly and most likely pushed the engine block in towards Warrick. He stepped on the gas which moved the car ahead enough to impact behind him and also turned into the collision to reduce severity of the roll. That wobble at the beginning probably stopped another 2 or 3 rolls of the vehicle."  
  
"Wow, I'll never rib Nick about his driving again," Greg was looking up at the screen in awe. Small smiles crossed the faces of everyone as they all thought 'good boy Nick'.  
  
"I can't believe the driver of the red car walked away. Where is he in this shot anyway?" Catherine craned her neck as if she could see around the corner of the picture.  
  
Archie reformatted the shot again and found the driver of the vehicle lying on the grass sidewalk. The film continued and he lifted himself up and started to limp away from the scene.  
  
"Freeze it there!" Archie did as Gil commanded. On the screen was a blurry picture of the driver facing the camera. "Enhance that." Again with a few key strokes of the computer Archie had a full frame shot of the face of the driver.  
  
"Well if it isn't our friend Mr Sampson," Brass held up a copy of Tyrone Simpson's record with the photo of him in the corner.  
  
"And that, Jim, just wiped out reasonable doubt." 


	7. Chapter 7

The rest of the shift dragged by for all of them. Catherine and Greg went to a break-in while Gil and Sara had a DB on the south side of town. With both Warrick and Nick out of the picture the work load quickly built as the night wore on. Sara was sent from the DB to an armed robbery and followed that up by a trick roll. Greg was returned to the lab for some DNA work on Gil's DB while Cath went out again to a drive by shooting and Grissom to a missing persons house.  
  
Finally the clock ticked over indicating the end of shift and for the first time in Las Vegas Crime Lab history, the graveyard shift left on time. Not one of them was willing to do overtime.  
  
Sara went home to shower and change and went straight back to the hospital. She was pretty sure she would see the others there sometime through the day. Grissom and Catherine were both going home to grab some sleep but Sara knew that they would only get a few hours before the need to return hit them.  
  
When Sara arrived Warrick was dressed and sitting on the side of his bed. His doctor was giving him some last minute instructions on the medication he was handing Warrick. "Good news Sara, they are letting me out of this place."  
  
"Yes but no work for a week. You received a nasty hit to your head young man. Also, you will only be able to perform light duties for the next couple of weeks until your arm regains some strength. Don't want you in here again now do we." Warrick's doctor was an elderly gentleman. Almost the epitome of what your friendly family doctor should be.  
  
"I'll look out for him, don't worry," Sara smiled at the doctor.  
  
"Well I will leave you in the hands of this very attractive young lady. Goodbye Warrick."  
  
"Goodbye and thank you." Warrick turned his attention back to Sara. "How you doing?"  
  
She shrugged. Every time she was reminded about how close she came to losing Warrick, and the still real possibility of losing Nick she choked up. Fresh tears threatening to spill over.  
  
Warrick saw her face and waved her over to him. Standing he took Sara in his arms and let her cry. "Shhhh. He's gonna be fine. It's Nick! He won't leave us. He is almost as stubborn as you." He could feel Sara nodding against his chest. "You wanna go up and see him?" Again she nodded.  
  
"You should prepare yourself Warrick, he looks awful."  
  
"I always thought Nick looked awful. It was you silly women who think he is a hunk!" With his arm around Sara's shoulder they made their way up to Nick's room.  
  
Sara found Kelly sitting on the chairs that had been set up outside. "Hi Kelly, how is he doing today?"  
  
"No change as yet. We are waiting for the doctor to come up and see him." Turning to Warrick she put out her hand, "You must be Warrick, I'm Kelly. I am so glad to see you are OK. I'm sorry I haven't been down to see you but I just can't pull myself away from Nick I'm afraid."  
  
Warrick couldn't help but smile at Nick's sister. Politeness was obviously drilled into these kids from birth. "Don't worry about it. The thought never even crossed my mind." Kelly turned back to the window. Warrick steeled himself and looked in as well. Sara was right. He did look awful. Warrick still had no recollection of the accident but looking at Nick he realised just how lucky he was to have escaped with his life, let alone the small injuries he had suffered.  
  
Warrick and Sara sat with Kelly while Nick's mother and father sat by his side. During the day Catherine, Gil and Greg all came by.  
  
His doctor also came by and spoke with his parents.  
  
Sandra Stokes came out and advised everyone of what the doctor had said. "He said that his blood pressure is returning to normal and his heart rate is much more solid. He is confident they will be removing the shunt tomorrow and will take him to surgery the next day to pin is arm assuming he still remains stable. He couldn't tell me when he would wake up. He....," she stopped to get her emotions under control. "He said that there is a remote chance that he may never wake up." Kelly took hold of her mother as she started to cry.  
  
"Mom, now don't think like that. He said remote. That means there is a damn good chance he will wake up any minute now and get cranky at you for making such a fuss."  
  
Sandra smiled at her daughter's joke. "Of course you are right." Turning back to the CSI's she added, "I also asked if it was OK if you all would be allowed to go in and visit him and he said you could. So if any of you would like to go in to him? I am ready for a cup of coffee and a lie down."  
  
Gil asked her, "Do you have anywhere to stay? Are you staying at Nick's place."  
  
"To be perfectly honest Gil we haven't even thought about it. I suppose we could stay there. I don't have any keys though."  
  
"I'll go back to work and get his stuff out of his locker. I am sure he keeps his private car keys there so we will drive his car back here for you. OK?"  
  
"Thank you. I think James needs some sleep too. We had a scare last month with his heart and this situation is so stressful."  
  
Greg and Gil went back to the lab to get Nick's personal belongings out of his locker and Greg drove Nick's own SUV back to the hospital and handed over the keys.  
  
Everyone kept up the bedside vigil while his family went back to his house to rest. By the time they came back they had to return to the lab.  
  
Nick's shunt was removed the next day and his arm was pinned the next day. More of his family flew in over the next couple of days as well.  
  
Now all they had to do was wait for him to wake up, and drink more coffee. 


	8. Chapter 8

Gil woke up to the sound of his cell phone ringing. He heart jumped every time it rang, expecting bad news from the hospital. He looked at the caller ID and saw 'BRASS'.  
  
"Hello Jim."  
  
"We got him."  
  
"Who?"  
  
"Tyrone Sampson. PD are bringing him in now."  
  
"I'll be right there."  
  
Gil flew out of bed and got dressed calling Catherine to advise her of Tyrone's arrest.  
  
By the time he arrived at the LVPD station Warrick, Sara, Greg and Catherine were already there. He entered the building and was surprised to see a number of police officers milling around the halls. Jim walked up to him. "He will be here any minute."  
  
They all waited in silence. And then he was there. It was surreal. It was like a movie. Gil could have sworn they were walking in slow motion. The footage of Lee Harvey Oswald just before he was shot came to mind. A handcuffed man walked in the front door with two uniformed officers behind him. All the officers that had been milling around turned and looked. Gil realised why they were here. This man almost killed two CSI's. While not technically cops they were still members of the LVPD and both Nick and Warrick were popular among the uniformed officers. Gil couldn't remember a scene were Nick wasn't greeted by name by one of the police officers in attendance. "Hey Nick, how's it going?" or "Going to the baseball game this weekend Stokes?" or "Coming over to watch the game this week Nick?" In their eyes Tyrone Sampson was very close to being a 'cop killer', the worst criminal of all in the eyes of these police.  
  
As Tyrone passed the CSI's he caught Grissom's eye. He smirked. Grissom could not believe the rage that flashed though him. He wanted to pummel this guy. Actually wanted to do physical harm to him. Payback for what he did to Nick. Grissom can't ever remember feeling that sort of rage before.  
  
"What are you charging him with Jim?"  
  
"Everything I can." Jim walked off to begin the interview with Tyrone Sampson.  
  
The people in the hall dispersed and the CSI's returned to their lives, working and waiting for Nick to wake up.  
  
Days stretched into weeks. 


	9. Chapter 9

It had been 3 weeks, 4 days and 11 hours since the accident and still Nick was in a coma.  
  
Catherine sat by his bed side reading some sports articles to him from the paper. She wasn't sure if he heard her but it made her feel better. His mother sat on the other side holding his hand and listening. As she was reading about the latest Cowboy's game an alarm by his side sounded. Catherine looked over at Sandra and saw her own panic mirrored in her eyes.  
----------------------------------------

He could hear his alarm clock going off but he just could not wake up enough to roll over and turn it off. He wanted to stay asleep for a while longer. So he would be late for work. They could live without him for a while. He fell asleep again.   
--------------------------------

"What was that from?" Catherine asked.  
  
"I don't know," Sandra responded.  
  
A nurse came into the room and asked Catherine to stand aside while she checked the equipment by his bedside. Again, another alarm. Fear gripped Catherine's heart for the first time in weeks. 'Not after all this time, don't let him go now.' 

------------------------------------------

  
  
'Not again! I don't want to go to work today. I'm so damn tired.' 

--------------------------------------------

  
  
The nurse turned and saw the frightened expression on the women's faces. "You can both relax," she said, "That was the respirator alarm. It means he is taking breaths on his own. That is an excellent sign. I'll send in the doctor next time he is down to check up on him. Meanwhile, I'll turn the alarm off so as not to frighten you anymore."  
  
"Does that mean he is waking up?" Sandra asked.  
  
The nurse hesitated, "I don't want to get you hopes up but this usually is the first sign that someone is coming out of a coma. Still a long way to go yet." 

-------------------------------------------------

  
  
He must be dreaming. He could have sworn he heard his mother's voice. But that was not possible, she was in Dallas and he was tucked in his bed at home in Las Vegas, trying to wake up enough to get out of bed and go to work. Nope, definitely not his mother.   
  
---------------------------------------------------- 

The nurse left the room and Catherine took her seat again beside Nick. Picking up the paper she began reading again, a small catch in her voice the only indication of her immense relief. 

--------------------------------------------------------

He walked into work and sat at the break room table. Catherine sat across from him reading the sports section of the paper aloud. 'Funny that, she doesn't like sports. Cowboy's lost. Damn it! Warrick will give him shit all day about that.' He tried to ask, "Catherine why are you reading to me?" but the words wouldn't come out. He felt like he had something in his throat, blocking it.  
  
She looked up at him. "You're dreaming silly." 

------------------------------------------------------------

  
  
Sara and Greg were both by his side, talking quietly. Catherine had told them both about the respirator and they were both hoping this would all be over soon.  
  
"I miss him hanging around the lab," Greg said. "I used to pretend I was pissed off and would kick him out but he was.... sorry IS..... the only one who comes in and talks to me, and not just see if the 'results' were in, you know. I miss him." 

-----------------------------------------------------------------

  
  
'Wake up, wake up, wake up, wake up!' Didn't matter how hard he tried he could not get those eyes to open. 'Greg? Why is Greg in my bedroom?' 

------------------------------------------------------------------

  
  
"I know what you mean. I never realised how much I used to talk to him. I mean, I talk to the others, but Nick..... I really..... TALKED to him, you know. I just wish he would wake up."   
  
--------------------------------------------------------------------- 

'I'm trying to Sara, get off my back will you.' He slammed his locker door and walked out of the locker room. He knew Sara would realise he wasn't cranky at her but at himself. 

----------------------------------------------------------------------

  
  
"Gris, do you think people are born unlucky?" Warrick looked over Nick's prone body to his boss.  
  
"What do you mean?"  
  
"Well Nick, he had some bad shit happen since he came here. I just wonder if he attracted some bad karma from a past life, you know."  
  
Gil looked over his glasses at Warrick. "Shit happens Warrick." 

---------------------------------------------------------------------

  
  
Nigel was there. He could feel him. Watching him. He spun around. Not behind him! He looked up. There was only sky above. He knew he was there somewhere.  
  
He heard someone cock a gun. He spun and came face to face with the barrel, but he couldn't see who was holding it. 'Grissom! Where are you man.'  
  
Gil appeared beside him, "Shit happens Warrick."  
  
"My name isn't Warrick, it's Nick... Nick Stokes." Gil smiles and walks away.  
  
"Here's the body Nick." Nick turns at the sound of Doc Robbins voice. He is in the morgue as he walks towards the table and looks down at the body of Kristy Hopkins. She looks like she is sleeping. But she isn't, she is dead. He should have stayed that night. Maybe this wouldn't have happened.  
  
Her eyes snap open, "Why did you let me die?"  
  
He screams. 

--------------------------------------------------------------

  
  
"Did you hear that?" Warrick leant closer to Nick. "He moaned I think."  
  
"His heart is racing. Maybe we should call a nurse."  
  
"OK." 

------------------------------------------------------------------

  
  
The nurse tried to pry Nick out of his mother's arms. He wouldn't let go. He was only nine and he wanted his mom to make it all better. Make what happened go away, but now he was at the hospital. He had scared his parents because he wouldn't talk when they came home. He had sat on his bed, arms wrapped around his knees and tears streaming down his face, rocking backwards and forwards, backwards and forwards.  
  
His father had yelled at the babysitter because she said she hadn't been in to check on him since he went to bed after dinner. She said she had no idea what was wrong with him. She lied. She knew exactly what was wrong.  
  
The nurse continued to try and get Nick to let go of his mother, to take him in to see the doctor. Doctor's make you better. He couldn't make this better. He wouldn't let go.  
  
"Nicky, tell me what happened, tell mommy what scared you so much," his mother rocked him while he sat on her lap, she held him tight and placed her hand on his head, "Nick darling, wake up and look at me." 

----------------------------------------------------------------------

  
  
Nick's mother was by is side again. Gil had told her what had happed while he and Warrick were visiting and she was sure he would wake up soon.  
  
"Nick darling, wake up and look at me," she said as she placed a hand on his head.  
  
"We all want you to open those beautiful brown eyes, sweetheart. Can you do that for me?" 

------------------------------------------------------------------------

  
  
"OK, mom."  
  
He opened his eyes... slowly... they still didn't want to open but he was going to. Everything was blurry but they were opening. Focus.... Focus.....  
  
His mother was leaning over him, her right hand holding his left, and her left hand resting on his forehead. That was how she used to wake him when he was sick and it was time to have his medicine. So THAT was why it had been so hard to wake up. He was sick! But he would be OK now, his mommy was here. 


	10. Chapter 10

"Nick, I want you to cough as I pull out the tube, can you do that for me?"  
  
Nick knew what those words were, but he just could not work out what they meant. He furrowed his brow as he tried to comprehend them. However the fact that the doctor was pulling a tube out of his throat made concentration difficult and started to cough as the tube slid out.  
  
"Good. Now don't try to talk just yet, give yourself a couple of minutes for your larynx to relax."  
  
Again, blah, blah, blah. He could hear the words, knew he knew the words, but could not make any sense of them what so ever. He tried to tell them so but he discovered he didn't know what words to form. This was not good. He was still groggy. That was it. Nothing to worry about.  
  
He could feel someone run something over the bottom of his foot. His foot contracted spontaneously. Then the other foot. 'Stop that! It tickles.'  
  
Someone gave him a sip of water. Catherine! He smiled up at the familiar face and was rewarded with a smile in return. Was she crying? She was smiling so it must have been good tears.  
  
He felt like he had been hit by a train. Why the hell was he in........ what was the word for that big place with sick people...... hotel, no.... hospice?..... close....HOSPITAL..... That was it, he was in HOSPITAL.  
  
"Nick, do you know where you are?" the strange man looked down at him. 'Yep, HOSPITAL,' he thought. He couldn't work out how to say the word so he nodded. Why didn't his neck move? WAS he hit by a train?  
  
The doctor frowned at the lack of response from Nick. "Can you tell me your name?"  
  
'Nick.' Now to form that word with his mouth. Concentrate...... concentrate.... Nothing. OK, this was just getting annoying now. Maybe if he had a little bit more sleep he would feel better when he work up. He closed his eyes. 

= = = = = = = = 

"Why isn't he saying anything?" Sandra Stokes didn't take her eyes of her son but directed the question to the doctor. Nick has fallen asleep again.  
  
"Brain injury is not an exact science I am afraid. The adverse effects are many and varied. I am sure this is just temporary set back. The good news is that we can take off his neck collar. All the x-rays and MRI's show there was no damage to the spinal cord and the reflex tests confirmed that. I will arrange for a nurse to come and take it off. In the meantime, when he wakes up we keep talking to him and see if we can't get some sort of reaction." 

= = = = = = = =

He woke up again as someone was turning his head from side to side. 'Geesh, can't a guy get some sleep around here.'  
  
"Sorry to wake you honey, but you had to have this collar taken off." He looked up at the very attractive nurse. 'OK, she can wake me anytime.' He smiled up at her. Now what did she say?  
  
He concentrated on the sentence. She called him... honey... term of endearment. That was nice. Now..... collar.... collar..... on a shirt? Well that didn't make sense. Why take off a collar and not the entire shirt?  
  
He turned his neck to look around the room. 'Hey, I couldn't do that before? OH.... COLLAR..... around my neck.... So my head didn't move... OK, got it now. Neck brace.' He smiled as he finally worked out the cryptic sentence.  
  
"What is it with him and smiling at pretty women?" He knew that voice. He turned his head and saw Warrick standing at the end of his bed.  
  
'Hey man.' That was what he wanted to say but the words would not form.  
  
"Even on his death bed he still gets more action than me!" Greg grinned down at him from beside Warrick.  
  
What did he say? Death bed.... He knew bed, he was in it..... death..... death  
  
"A corpse can get more action than you Sanders. How you feelin' man? Feel like talking? You want a drink of water or something."  
  
Hold on.... Still trying to work out what Greg said. Talking..... I'm trying! Water...... water..... he pictures a glass of water in his mind. 'Yeh water would be good.' He tells his head to nod but.....  
  
"Hey Nicky, I'm here too. You really scared us. Don't ever do that to me again Stokes."  
  
He turned his head in the direction of the new voice. Sara. That gap tooth smiled looked down at him. What did she say.... scared...... what happened to that water?  
  
"To YOU? I was in the car! Man, your driving saved my life. You were right, you are a better driver than me. I'll never hang shit on it again." Warrick laughed.  
  
"Hey Nick, your frowning. You got a headache or something?" Greg looked a little panicked. "You think we should get the doctor?"  
  
'Ahhhh slow down. I don't understand what you are saying! One at a time! This is too hard. I'm going to sleep again. 

= = = = = = = = = = 

"Did he say anything to you?" James Stokes asked the young CSI's when they came out of the room.  
  
"No. He just sort of looked at us. He started off by smiling but then was just frowning. Kinda like he does at the lab when he is trying to figure something out," Warrick informed him.  
  
"It was almost like he didn't understand us." Sara looked back in at Nick who was sleeping peacefully. "You don't think it's permanent do you?"  
  
James had his hands in his pocket and shrugged. It was such a Nick thing to do. "The doctor is still confident he will make a full recovery. I suppose we have to wait and see."  
  
"Anyone else sick of waiting?" Greg asked. 

= = = = = = = = = = = = 

He opened his eyes and saw his brother, Michael sitting beside his bed, and his sister, Kelly, beside him. They were talking to someone on the other side of the bed. He turned his head and saw Grissom and Catherine.  
  
"Kelly and Nick were like twins. You wouldn't have thought they were born 12 months apart. Since he was born Kelly was by his side." Michael was informing Catherine and Gil about some of Nick's antics growing up.  
  
Catherine noticed Nick's head move. "Hey there cowboy. How you goin?"  
  
He smiled up at her. Kelly moved past Michael and took his hand. "Hey Nicky, can I get you anything. You want some water?"  
  
Water... he knew what that was... he nodded his head.  
  
She smiled at him, thankful for that small reaction from him. It was the first one anyone had gotten since he had woken up 4 days ago. She reached over and grabbed the cup with a straw from the bedside table. He took a sip and it tasted wonderful. Who would have thought water could taste so good.  
  
Then they started talking at him again. One right after the other. He couldn't decipher what anyone was saying. God could they just SLOW DOWN!  
  
"Slow down." His voice was croaky and barely above a whisper but it shut them all up instantly. All four were staring at him.  
  
"What did you say Nick," Gil was the first to find his voice.  
  
"Slow down. You're talking too fast and I don't understand what you are saying."  
  
"Well we understand you and you don't know how good it is to hear your voice."   
  
Slowly over the next few days, Nick's comprehension sped up and so long as everyone gave him a bit of time to digest their sentences, he could pretty much keep up with the conversation.  
  
He still had a long road of ahead of him, months of physical therapy and comprehension skills again, but he was expected to make a full, if not slow recovery.  
  
Finally everyone could stop waiting. 


	11. Epilogue

Six months, three weeks and two days after the accident Nick sat in the lunch room, going through the flyers, mail, newsletters, and notes that had built up in his in box since he had been off. It was his first day back on the job and he was excited and nervous all at the same time. He had been back in Vegas for the last couple of days going through retraining and proficiency tests before he could start back at the lab. But now he was back.  
  
He felt two arms snake around his shoulders and round his chest and a kiss was planted softly on the side of his head. "We missed you around here Nicky."  
  
Nick smiled and reached up to grab Catherine's hands. "I missed y'all too."  
  
"You've been in Texas too long man. What is with the 'y'all'" Warrick laughed at the strength of Nick's accent. After being released from hospital he had gone home with his family to be nursed back to health. He had stayed with his mom and dad and also spent some time at Kelly's. Nick stood and hugged his friend and did their knuckle to knuckle thing they do.  
  
"Well I think it's cute." Catherine rubbed his head and walked over to make a coffee.  
  
"Cute! I don't do cute." Nick walked over to the coffee machine as well.  
  
"Nick, you're back!" Sara practically flew into his arms and gave him a huge hug. He was surprised at her affectionate embrace but returned the hug with as much force as she gave.  
  
"Did you miss me?" he asked.  
  
"You know I did. I called you practically everyday." They broke from their hug and stood with their arms around each other's waist.  
  
"Look what the cat dragged in. You should have got them to do some plastic surgery while you were in there man. You are still ugly as." Greg walked up to Nick. A little hesitant as to how he was supposed to greet his friend.  
  
Nick smiled at the younger man. "No way. I may have ended up looking like you." He grabbed him and gave him a manly hug. He heard Greg sniffle. Nick whispered in his ear, "Pull it together man, I'm fine and back to give you a hard time OK." Greg nodded and released Nick.  
  
"You're not going to drink that crap coffee. Let me make you one of my special brew." He turned and wiped a small tear from his eye, relieved to have his best friend back at work.  
  
"Cool."  
  
Greg didn't move. Everyone was looking at him. "You all have to turn around."  
  
"Excuse me," Sara asked.  
  
"Just because I am letting you all drink it, doesn't mean I am going to show you where I stash it." Greg held up a finger and indicated they should all turn around. Humouring him they did so. No one had the heart to tell him they already knew he hid it in the salt canister.  
  
They all made their way to the table as Greg made up his Blue Hawaiian coffee.  
  
Grissom entered with the assignments for the night. He looked over the rim of his glasses, "Nicky, it is good to see you back. I have tonight's assignments."  
  
Warrick leant over to Sara and whispered, "Full of emotion as usual." Sara nodded in affirmative disbelief.  
  
What they didn't see was how Grissom ley his hand on Nick's shoulder and squeezed as he walked past. Nick knew that was the equivalent of Sara's bear hug from this science geek.  
  
Emotion welled up and threatened to overwhelm him. His eyes misting but he refused to let a tear spill. He had missed these people so much while he had been in Dallas. He had made and received plenty of phone calls, text messages, photographs in the mail, letters, but it wasn't the same as being with them here.  
  
He cast his eyes around the table. Dallas was where his family lived, but now he was home. 


End file.
